What’s your favorite thing about being a leader at Bay?
My favorite thing about being a leader is inspiring other people like me. When I was a freshman, I was really shy and I didn’t think I could have been a leader at Bay. I hope that other freshman who were like me think, “Oh, I can do that too!”
I think it was during my sophomore year that I got to know my class better. Ms. T, who was the previous Dean of Students, really encouraged me to try new things. For Research in the Community, I chose a topic that I was really passionate about and was chosen to [represent my class at the public exhibition night].” I did it and at first I was really nervous, but afterward I really like the feeling of getting to share something that I’m really passionate about, so I wanted to do other stuff similar to that.
Leadership at Bay is not intimidating. You don’t have to be a really outspoken person to become a leader at Bay. It’s available to everyone.
Do you think it’s easy to get involved at Bay? For example, how did you get involved with International Aid?
I think at Bay it’s definitely easier to get involved because there are a lot of leadership positions available to you. I know at other schools it’s almost like a popularity contest. I think people at Bay just want to try something different. We don’t just have student council; we have A-Team and CRC and SLC, so there are a lot of other things to try.
I learned about International Aid club, which works with organizations to fundraise money to third world countries, during the Club Fair. At the Club Fair, the whole Great Room is set up so that the club leaders can talk about their clubs. You go from table to table to see what the clubs are about and have the opportunity to sign up.
What skills have you learned from leading this club?
I definitely feel like I have improved on my public speaking. When I was a freshman I never thought I would be able to go up at Morning Meeting, and I’m really glad that I’ve done that. It was something that I never thought I would be able to do and the clubs made me feel like I could share and open up. I did the UNITY club meeting a couple of weeks ago and the International Aid meeting last year and next week I’m doing the girls group.
I’m really glad I became a leader because my public speaking skills have definitely improved and I feel more prepared for college. I feel proud of myself for taking on the opportunity because I know I’m really fortunate to go to a school that has these opportunities available to students, so I just want to take full advantage.
#SchoolStories 